13,/no 


■    iuji  TOCCZ 


No.  115. 

NOAH'S    CARPENTERS. 


It  was  a  late  hour  at  night.  .  The  city  of 

N" with  its  many  turrets  and  spires  word 

sleeping  under  the  shadow  of  those  rocky 
sentinels  which  have  guarded . the  plain 
since  the  flood.  The  waves  of  the  ocean 
fell  gently  and  soothingly  on  the  beach. — 
The'moon  waded  through  the  fleecy  autumn 
clouds,  now  playing  with  the  waters  and 
lighting  up  the  scene,  and  then  concealing 
her  glory  as  if  to  make  its  revelations  more 
prized.  It  was.  a  night  for  pious  thought 
and  conversation. 

Two  persons.,  were  leaving  the  city  and 
passing  along  the  water-side  to  a  beautiful 
villa,  where  one  wras  a  readout  and  the 
other  a  guest. :  The  taller  and  elder  of  the 
two  was  actively  engaged  in  a  work  of  be- 
nevolence, in   the   blessings  of   whieh  the 

people  of  ?N and  the   students  of  ■ 

college  mutually  shared.  The  .work  was 
"too  heavy"  for  him,  and  he  had  invited 
his  young  friend,  an  impenitent  lad,  ot 
whom  we  shall' speak  as  Henry,  to  aid  him. 
Together  they  had  spent  many  a  weary  day 
in  supplying  the  Christian  laborers  wbo  eg* 


operates  with  them,  with  the  choicest  means 

of  usefulness,  as  they  erotrded  the  deposito- 
ry ot  truth.     Exhausted  by  their  toils,  they] 
were  now   returning   for  a  night's  Repose, 
Hitherto  not  a  word  had  been  addressed  to 

The  fitting 
A.  quaint, 


the  obliging  lad  about  his  soul, 
occasion  seemed  to  have  arrived; 


hut  fitting  manner  was  chosen. 

"Henry/'  asked  the.  elder  of  the  younger, 
"  do  you  know  what  became  of  Noatis  car- 
peniers  f" 

"  Noah's  carpenters  !"  exclaimed  Henry  ; 
"I  did  not  know  that-Koah  had 'any  car- 
penters." 

-"Certainly  he  must' have  Lad  help  in 
building  one  of  the  largest  and  best  pro- 
portioned ships  ever  put  on  the  stocks. 
There  must  have  been  many  ship  carpenters 
at  work  for  a  long  time,  to  have  constructed 
such  a  vesselwri  such  an  ago.  What  became 
of  them,  think  you,  when  all  the  fountains 
of  the  great  deep  were  broken  up,  and  the 
windows  of  heaven  \vere  opened?" 

What   do   }'ou   mean  by  such  a  queer 

Henry  replied. 
No  matter  what,  just  now  Please  an- 
swer the  inquiry.  And  you  may  also  tell 
me,  if  you  will,  what  yoi*  would  have,  done 
in  that  dreadful  hour,  when  the  storm  came 
In  it--  fmy,  v.nd  Noah's  prophecies  were  ail 


question  ?' 

u  "" " 


n^K, 


3 


fulfilled,  and  all  but  the  family  of  the 
preacher  of  39  wore  ready  to  be 

itfgulied  in  those  black  w 

"I  dou'f  kimw,"  sai<jl  Henry,  in  a  half- 
fchoughtful,  half- trifling  manner;  "but  I 
think  I  should  have  got  on  the  rudder.*' 
•  "That  is  human  nature  exactly,  Henry. 
It  would  4  climb'up  some  other  wny,'  rather 
than  enter  the  fold  by  the  only  door.  It 
would  'get  on  the  rudder,'  in  i!s  pride  and 
short-sightedness.  r  than    co  into  the 

ark  of  safety.     It  would  If  by  hang- 

ing on,  at  the  hazard  of  being  swept  into 
the  gulf  of  despair,  instead  of]  being  saved 
by  ib<  ion  of  infinite  love. 

"But  I'll  foil  you  plainly  what  I  mean, 
Henry,  by  Noah's  carpenters.  You  have 
kindly  and  generously  given   me  your  aid, 

day  after  day,  in  building  an  ark  in  i\r , 

by  which  m*my,  I  trust,  will  be  saved.  I 
feel  grateful  for  your  help  But  I  greatly 
fear,  that  while  .others  will  be  rejoicing  in 
the  fruits  of  our  labors,  you  will  bo  swept 
away  in  the  storm  of  wrath  which'  will  by 
and  by  beat  on  the  heads  of  those  who  en- 
ter not  the  ark  of  Jesus.  Xo  human  device 
will  avail  tor  you.  \  Getting  on  the  rudder' 
will  not  answer;  you  must  be  in  Chnst,  or 
you  are  losj:.  Remember  Noah's  carpen- 
ters, and  flee  to  the  ark  without  delay." 


"We  reached  the  house  and  parted.  The 
winter    came.     The  Jad   was    placed    at   a 

hoarding    school   in    .     He  visited  his 

home  during  the  winter  vacation,  and  pre- 
sented himself  to  the  church  tor  admission 
to  its  communion.  He  then  stated  that  the 
conversation  detailed  above  had  never" 
passed  from  his  memory. 

Though  Noah's  carpenters  were  all 
drowned,  there  are  a  great  many  of  the 
same  stock  now  alive — those  who  contrib- 
ute to  promote  the  spiritual  good  of  others, 
and  aid  in  the  up. building  of  the  Redeem- 
er's kingdom,' but  personally  neglect  the 
gre%t  solvation. 

Sabbat  h-schonl  children  who  gather  in  the 
poor,  or  contribute  their  money  to  send  li- 
braries or  tracts  and  books  to  the  West,  or 
to  aid  the  work  of  missions,  and  yet  remain 
unconverted,  are  like  iSToah  s  carpenters. 

Teachers  in  Bible-classes  and  Sabbatk- 
sqIwoU  who  point  their  pupils  to  the 'Lamb 
of  God,  but  do  not  .lead  the  way,  are  like, 
guide-boards  that  tell  the,  road,  but  are  not 
travelers  on  it ;  or  like  Noah's  carpenters, 
who  built  an  ark,  and  were  overwhelmed 
in  the  waters  that  bore  it  aloft  in  safety. 

ClirisllessjMrents  vvho  instruct  their  chil- 
dren and  servants,  as  every  parent  should, 
in  the  great  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  yet 


•    5    . 

Fail  to  illustrate  these  doctrii  eg  in  their 
lives,  and  seek  not  a  personal  interest  in 
the  blood  of  Christ,  are  Jike  JSoab's  car- 
penters, and  musk  expect  their  doom* 

Printers,  folders,  sewers  find  hinders  en- 
cagid  tii  making  B'bles  and  religious  looks, 
booksellers  and  hawkers,  and  publishers  of  re- 
ligions newspapers,  who  are  doing  much  to 
increase  the  knowledge  of  the  gospel  and 
to  Siive  souls,  but  so  many  of  whom  are 
careless  about  their  own  salvation,  will 
have  the  mortification  ot  knowing,  that 
while  their  toils  have  bet'n  instrumental  of 
spiritual  good  to  thousands,  they  were  only 
like  the  pack-mules  that  carried  a  load  to 
market  without  tasting  it;  or  like  Noah's 
carpenters,  who  built  a  ship  they  never 
sailed. 

Wealthy  and  liber vl,  but  unconverted  men 
who  help  to  build  churches  and  sustain  the 
institutions  of*  the  gospel,  but  who  "will 
not  come  unto  Christ,  that  they  may  have 
life,"  are  hewing  the  timbers  and  driving 
the  nails  oi  the  ark  they  are  too  proud  or 
too  careless  to  enter.  Perhaps  they  think 
they  will  be  sate  on  the  "rudder;"  but 
they  may  find  too  late,  that  when  they 
would  ride  they  must  swim — that  when  they 
would  float  they  must  sink,  with  all  their 


G 

good  deeds,  unmixed  with  faith,  as  a  mill- 
stone about  their  necks. 

Moralists  who  attend,  church  and  support 
the  ministry,  but  who  do  dot  receive  into 
their  hcarrs  (lie  gospel  they  thus  sustain, 
are  like  Noah's  carpenters. 

Professed  ministers  of  the  go.rpel  who  preach 
the  truth  without  .practicing  it,  who  com- 
mend the  love  of  Chr"st  without  expe- 
riencing it,  who  guide  the  wandering  to  the 
told  of  Christ  without  entering  it  them- 
selves— are  they  t  ot  like  Noah's  carpenters? 
It  Paul  might  indulge  the  ■  apprehension 
lestj  when  he  had  "preached  to  others,"  he 
should  himself  "  he  a  cast  away,"  may  not 
those  of  us  who  follow  at  a  sad  distance 
from  Paul  in  the  Christian  race,  well  see  to 
it  that  we  are  not  left  to  buffet  the  waves 
of  an  overwhelmed  world,  when  some  of 
those  we  have  led  into  the  aide  are  borne 
triumphantly  above  the  billows  in  which 
we  are  ingulfed  ? 

Perhaps  >he  Christian  reader  will  be  en- 
couraged by  this  narrative  to  speak  a  word 
in  season  to  some  of  these  ark-builders. 
The/  are  numerous.  Their  kindness  should 
he  acknowledged.  "These  things  ought 
they  to  have  done*"  The  danger  is,  that 
the  great  thing  will  be  ".left  undone."  "Run, 
speak  to  that  young  man.     Tell  him  that 


him 

that  "getting  on  the  rudder"  of  the  ark, 
and  all  other  human  devices  for  salvation 
are  vain  refuges  of  lies.  Tell  Lini  that  the 
ark  is  open;  that  it  is  safe;  that  it  waits 
for  him.  The  dove  and  the  olive  branch 
arc  in  this  ark.  The  Jo -»w  of  mercy  spans 
the  heavens  above  it.  Peace  and  hope  and 
salvation  are  there.  But,  if  scorned  or  ne- 
glected, when  once  the  door  is  shut,  they 
only  that  are  "iii  the  ark"  will  "remain 
alive."  Who  can  abide  that  storm?  Who 
can  buffet  those  waves?  Who  will  survive 
that  deluge.  Heber. 


DELAY  IX  RELIGION. 

An  "accurate  examination  into  the  periods  of  Iffe 
at  which #hose  whose  lives  of  godliness  give  evi- 
dence of  true  religion,  first 'began  to  be  followers  of 
Christ,  furnishes  an  amazing  demonstration  ot  the 
folly  an  J  dange*  of  delay.  The  probability  of  con- 
version diminishes  as  rapidly  as  years  roll  on. 

Make  up  a  congregation  of  .a  thousand  Chris- 
tians. Divide  them  into  five  classes,  according  to 
the  ages  at  which  they  became  Christians.  Place 
in  the  first  class  all  those  converted  under  20  years 
of  age;  second  class,  all  those  oonye'rted  between 
20'  and  30  ;  third  class,  all  those  converted  between 
30  and  40;  fourth  class,  all  tkose  converted  be 
t\veen40anl  50 j  fifth  c! ass,  all  fchbse  converted 
between  50  and  GO.     Then    count  each  of  the  five 


classes  separately.  Of  your  thousand  Christians, 
there  were, hopefully  converted,  under  20  years  of 
age,  548;  between  20  and  30  years  of  age,  337; 
between  30  and  40,  86;  between  40  and  50,  11; 
between  50  and  60,  3 — between  60  and  70,  1. 

Just  one  out  of  a  thousand  Christians  converted 
over  sixty  ^ears  old.  What  a  lesson  on  delay — 
what  an  awful  lesson  !  What  an  appeal  is  this  to 
the  unconverted  of  every  age.  To  such  as  are 
still  in  the  favored  season  of  early  youth,  it  says, 
Now  is  the  accepted  time.  Seek  early.  Those  who 
have  passed  even  the  early  age  of  twenty,  have  de- 
monstrated to  them  the  fact  that  the  most  favorable 
season  is  gone  already,  and  that  the  grounds  of 
hope  in  their  case  are  rapidly  growing  narrow,  and 
more  insecure,  with  every  additional  day  of  impen- 
itence, to  their  closing  hour. 

Need  we  add  a  word  on  the  solemnity  with  which 
such  considerations  appeal  to  minister^of  the  gos- 
pel on  behalf  of«  the  young  among  their  hearers — 
and  to  all  Chri.tian  fathers  and  mothers— to  all  who 
love  the  Lord  Jesus'  Christ,  on  behalf  of  the  im- 
penitent in  their  families  and  around  (hem? 

j/jk  Dr.  Spc?icer, 


Hollinger  Corp* 
PH8.5 


